Card index



Nov 3, 1925 J. JAMIESON CARD INDEX Filed June 8, 199,3

Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ,PATENT, OFFICE.

JOHN JAMIESON, or ron'rnannuamn' GARD INDEX.

I Application filed June 8, 1923. Serial No. 644,137.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that 1,.JOHN JAMIESON, .a citizen of the United States, residing at Portland, in the county of Cumberland and State of Maine, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card Indexes, of which the following is a specification. I

The invention relates to a card index comprising a container or drawer, and a plurality of cards loosely assembled therein.

The chief object of the invent-ion is to provide a card index, the upper portions of the front sides of which are maintained constantly spaced apart, so that indicia on said portions referring or related to other indicla on the lower portion of the card may be convenientl read from a point above the container, witli out the necessity of thumbing the cards to expose said indicia.

Another object is to provide a filing card,

adapted to be placed edgewise with other like cards'in a container, and having a relatively thin upper edge portion bearing said indicia, and a compressible body portion normally expanded to a thickness greater than that of the 11 per edge portion, so that, in 'a series of car s ouped in a container, the upper edge ortion of each. card after the first is space from the upper edge porton of the card in front of it, to permit the reading of the indicia on said upper edge portion, without moving or thumbing the card.

I attain these objects by the improvements hereinafter described, and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing a portion of'a container, and two cards e bodying the invention therein. A

Figure 2 is an end view of a card formed as shown by Figure 1.

' Figure 3 is an end view of another form of card. 1

Figure 4 is a side view of a portion of a sheet adapted to be folded to produce the card shownby vided with a tab adaptedto project above the upper edge of the completed card.

Fi re 5 is a perspective view, showing the s eet portion shown by Figure 4, folded to form the upper edge of the card, the tab being in its operative position.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In making either of the cards shown by Figures 1 and 2, and pro- Figures 1 t0.3-, I fold a sheet or blank of suitably heavy paper, or other flexible material, to form a card adapted to be placed edgewise with other like cards on the bottom of a container 12, which may be a drawer of a filing cabinet, and may be provided with the usual compressor or following' per edge portion of each card is separated" by a space, as 16, (Figure 1), from the card in front of it, to permit the reading of the indicia 15 when the cards are in their normal or usual position, no thumbing of the cards being required to expose said indicia.

The members forming the body portion of the card may be variously arranged. As 7 shown by Figures 1 and 2, said members include, a front member 17 and two flaps 18,

one overlapping the other, the indicl'a 15 bein applied to the upper portion of the mem er 17. p

As shown by Figure 3, the members in- =clude a front member composed of a main portion 17 and an inclinedportio n .17", the two flaps 18, one overlapping the other. The portion 17, is supporte ingstrip 21, cemented thereto and toe. portion of the upper flap 18?. The indicia 15 are applied to the portion 17*, the inclination of the latter enabling the indicia to be easily read. The portion 17 and the adja cent portion of the flap 18. constitute the relatively thin indicia be'aring upper edge portion-of the card.

Figure 5 shows a portion of a card wh1ch ma be of the .form shown by Figures .1

an 2, a portion of the blank from which the card 1s formed being shown by Figure 4; The dotted line 14 indicates the loca tion of the fold 14 forming the upper edge of the card. 'Before the card is folded, a slit 23 may be cut in the flap 18, to define the free edge of a tab 24, adapted to be by a reinf0rc-,

turned upward, as shown by Figure 5, to project from the upper edge of the card.

The flap 18 may be provided with a row of differently colored tab-locating fields 25, as shown by Figure 4, so that the card may be provided with a tab having the color of any one of said fields.

The cardsv are sufiiciently elastic or resilient to cause their lower or body portions to normally stand apart and impart sufiicient thickness below the indicia-bearing portions.

It will be seen that a card index including a plurality of cards characterized as stated, and a container in which the cards are loosely assembled, includes means for maintaining open spaces 16 between the upper portions of the cards, so that indicia 15 on the upper front portion of any card are visible from a point higher than the container, said means being provided by the card members forming a normally expanded compressible body below the indici -bearing upper por:

tion of each card. T normal expansion of said bodies maintains the spaces 16, and pre-' vents warping or bending displacement of the upper portions of the cards, sufiicient to conceal the indicia at the rear sides of said spaces. 1

Each of the described embodiments of the invention comprises means for maintaining open spaces 16 between the upper portions of a plurality of cards assembled in a container, so that indicia on the upper front portion of any card are visible from a point igher than the container, said means in each embodiment preventingdistortion of any card sufiicient to conceal the indicia on the succeeding card;

Owing to the fact that the sheet is folded I on two parallel lines with the edge portions overlapping, and with one edge portion extending upwardly inside of the other edge portion, and terminating an appreciable distance below the upper fold 14, a series of such folded cards, although of equal height, will always expose sufficient indicia-bearing surfaces. In other words, the presence of the inside upwardly extending edge portions or flaps ensures the permanent existence of spaces in the upper portions of the folded'sheets or cards, which spaces cannot be obliterated by pressure extending from front to rear of a part of the cards. Another-advantage of this structure is increased durability, owing to. the fact that the 'ortions of the cards which are subjected to t e most wear when shifted forward or back, are folded portions and not single cut edges, and therefore, not likely to become broken down. And of course, if desired, any

memoranda or other thin article relating to a person or subject indicated on the folded card. can be slipped inside the card from either end, and can be easily removed therefrom.

I claim:

1. A filing card adapted to be placed edgewise with other like cards in a container, said card being composed of a flexible sheet folded on two parallel lines with the edge portions overlapping and with one edge por tion extending upwardly inside the other edge portion and terminating an appreciable distance between the upper fold, the front surface of the card adjacent the upper fold bearing suitable indicia the arrangement be ing such that in a series of said cards grouped inn container, the upper edge por tion of each card is spaced from the corresponding portion of the next card, to permit the reading of indicia on saidupper edge portion, the said folds forming the upper and lower edges of the card, the member forming the front side of the body being bulged outward below the upper fold, and

including the said indicia-bearing portion, the card being provided with a reinforcing stripholding said indicia-bearing portion in an inclined position.

2. A tiling card adapted to be placededgewise with other like cards in a container, said card being-composed of a flexible sheet folded on two parallel lines with the edgeportions overlapping and with one edge portion extending upwardly inside the other edge portion and terminating an appreciable distance below the upper fold, the front surface of the card adjacent the upper fold bearing suitable indicia, the arrangement being such that in a series of said cards grouped in a container, the upper edge portion of. each card is spaced from the corresponding portion of'the next card, to permit the reading of indicia on said upper edge portion, the said foldsforming the upper and lower ed es of the card, the member forming the iront side of the body being lmlged out-ward below the upper fold, and

JOHN JAMIESON. 

